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Gnomes
The Wild Feyfolk Deep in the heartland of their distant island, the gnomes of Keepos dwell in the midst of wonders, both natural and artificial. The gnomish people are devoted to improving and overcoming this realm of existence, and they are beginning with their own island. Most gnomes live about two hundred years, although many die much earlier deaths at the hands of their own experiments. Sub-Races Most gnomes born on the Isle of Keepos share the same essential qualities, and are known to the rest of the world as rock gnomes. However, every so often, a gnome will be born with a much stronger connection to the Feywild than the rest of his kin. These aberrations are known as Wildlings (or forest gnomes), and they possess striking differences from the rest of gnomishkind. Rock Gnomes The average rock gnome stands about three feet tall, and has the same coloring as most humans, although red hair is much more common. They are of slight build and can be mistaken for children at a first glance. They are fascinated by all things mechanical, and devote themselves to building artifacts of immense complexity. Size is less important to a gnome than precision. However, they do have a tendency to take on more than they can possibly hope to accomplish; most gnomes have three or four projects going on at once. Forest Gnomes Forest gnomes are said to be the result of the Feywild calling its children home. From the moment they are born, they are intimately connected to the earth, and to all living things. They often leave their homes and families (who are too busy working on their own projects to be bothered with nature) and spend vast amounts of time in the wilder places of their island. They have a similar build to their common kin, but their hair is always dramatic. Flaming reds, leafy greens, sky blues, and snowy whites are all within the norm for these strange folk. Their eyes are also different, lacking apparent pupils. They are instead solid orbs of color, either purple, green, blue, red, or white. Gnomish Realms Gnomes inhabit the Isle of Keepos, and, with the exception of the Free Cities of Nammon's Bay, with which the gnomes trade frequently, are quite rare throughout the rest of the world. Gnomish artifacts trickle west to Averistra, where they are highly sought after, but gnomes themselves rarely follow their wares. Most prefer to work in solitude and peace. Those who do set out into the world are usually searching for ancient artifacts and ruins, hoping to find something that will spark their next big idea. Forest gnomes are the most likely to leave their island home, searching for signs of the Feywild in the wider world. Relations With Other Races To most gnomes, the other races are too serious, and interested in trivial things like wealth, health, and honor. Excitement, discovery, and fun are what really matter to the majority of gnomes. Their penchant for dangerous experimentation has also given them a very dismissive attitude towards death. As such, they share little in common with the other races. * Humans - Gnomes have contact with humans mainly through trade and commerce, and so have a very negative view of them, by and large. They believe humans to be interested in wealth and personal gain, two things in which most gnomes are not very interested. However, there are a few humans who show real interest in the more important things, like discovery and invention, and these humans are readily accepted by most gnomes. * Elves - The most serious of all the serious races, elves are hardly what gnomes would call good company. Still, they are something like cousins, due to their connection to the Feywild, and so gnomes put up with them the way one puts up with a boring kinsman. Still, it wouldn't kill them to lighten up a bit. * Dwarves - Dwarven cities are grand edifices, testaments to what can be done by the power of craftsmanship and engineering. Gnomes are drawn to these fortresses and are readily accepted by the dwarves who dwell in them. Many a foul creature of the Underdark has met its end at the hands of a dwarf wielding gnomish technology. * Halflings - Halflings are able to take a joke, in a way none of the "big folk" can. However, where gnomes are interested in too many things to do any of them, halfings are not interested in anything particular. The stout are particularly bad in this way, and gnomes have no time for them. Some lightfoot are pretty similar to gnomes in their love of adventure, and relations between these halflngs and gnomes are very good. * Dragonborn - "Never laugh at an angry dragonborn" is the moral of a famous gnomish fable, and most gnomes remember it throughout their lives. Gnomes tend to give the dragonborn a wide berth, leaving them to mind their own business, which all too often is killing, something most gnomes would rather avoid doing altogether. Relations Between Gnomes Gnomes get along fine with other gnomes, unless they are working on the same project (and have different ideas of where to go with it). However, gnomish cities are pretty loosely connected, and gnomes are more than fine living on their own. Forest gnomes are looked upon as silly children, who aren't quite right in the head. Considering most gnomes are viewed this way by the other races anyway, the forest gnomes don't judge them too much for it, reciprocating the feeling towards their more mechanically-minded kinfolk. Religion and Magic Religion is of lesser importance to most gnomes. They accept Istra, Bern, and Kyros (by other names) as their primary deities, and worship them collectively as the Fey Court. However, few gnomes devote themselves wholeheartedly to the worship of any of them, and even fewer are chosen as exemplars. Gnomish clerics are either librarians of sorts, gathering and recording the many achievements of gnome-kind, or hermits who live in nature and meditate upon her secrets. Where gnomes really shine is in the arcane arts. Many gnomes know a magical trick or two, and there are several gnomish colleges devoted to the arts of conjuration, enchantment, and illusion, with the last being particularly well attended. Illusion magic is seen as a sort of cultural heritage, and gnomish illusionists are famous worldwide.